The present invention relates to automotive vehicles with ventilation systems and more particularly, automotive vehicles with exhauster vents that also mount sealed conduits that mount wiring harnesses and/or fluid vents.
Virtually all vehicles manufactured today have a heating and ventilation system for the passenger compartment of the vehicle. Virtually all vehicles manufactured in North America also come equipped with an air-conditioning system. To facilitate the environmental health and comfort of the vehicle occupants, fresh air must be brought into the vehicle interior passenger compartment. The passenger compartment of an automobile generally has a size of 2 to 3 m3. In order to cool the passenger compartment in warm weather, 300 m3/hr of ambient air or air cooled by an air conditioning system is guided through the compartment.
Such a high rate of air flow results in many air changes. Several technical challenges are presented in bringing fresh air into the vehicle. First, the fresh air intake should be located in an area of the vehicle where it cannot suck in any fumes. Second, the fresh air intake should be located where snow or frozen precipitation cannot clog it. Finally, the air intake should be protected from precipitation, leaves and other various debris entering into the heating, air-conditioning and ventilation system.
The engine compartment of most vehicles is in the front end of the vehicle. Behind the engine compartment is the passenger compartment which is separated from the engine compartment by a fire wall. Above the fire wall and inclined rearwardly from the top of the fire wall is the windshield. Extending forwardly from the base of the windshield and on top of the fire wall is a generally flat region called the cowling. The cowling is covered by the rear portion of the front hood which also extends across the engine compartment. The lower portion of the hood has a molding which seals the engine compartment from the remainder of the cowling. However, the front hood is spaced away from the windshield allowing air to enter into the cowling area from behind the front hood.
Typically, the air intake for most vehicles is placed in the cowling area since the cowling area is opened to the atmosphere and covered by the front hood, but yet sealed away from the engine compartment by the front hood molding. The cowling typically has a flared opening for the air inlet of the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system. The air inlet pipes air into the passenger compartment below the dashboard where it is appropriately heated, cooled and/or filtered to meet the environmental and comfort requirements of the vehicle occupants.
To allow for the proper exchange of air within the passenger compartment there must be an air flow through the passenger compartment. Most automotive vehicles are constructed such that the passenger compartment is generally sealed from the outer environment to the extent that air within the passenger compartment cannot escape. Accordingly, air from the passenger compartment is typically vented to the trunk through vents located near the package shelf.
The flow of air from the passenger compartment to the trunk compartment is desirable for several reasons. It is desirable that there be positive air pressure within the passenger compartment to cause air to go through the trunk compartment so that the trunk compartment, which is typically neither heated or cooled, maintains a temperature closer to the selected temperature of the passenger compartment. It is desirable that the passenger compartment have a higher air pressure rate than the trunk so that fumes, moisture or odors which may enter into the trunk from either outside the vehicle or from things stored inside the trunk do not enter into the passenger compartment.
To allow for the continuous flow of air from the passenger compartment into the trunk compartment, an exhauster must be provided. An exhauster is a vent that acts as a check valve to relieve air that is delivered into the trunk compartment from the passenger compartment to the exterior of the vehicle. Additionally, the exhauster also functions to relieve pressure when the doors, trunk or cargo hatch of a vehicle are closed. The pressure relieving function of the exhauster is vital to passenger comfort and to the prevention of glass damage to the vehicle.
Typically, the exhauster is provided by an aperture in the car body. The aperture is enclosed with a vent. The vent typically forms a check valve function to assure egress of air or moisture from the trunk compartment but not to allow the ingress of air into the trunk compartment from the exterior of the vehicle.
The exhauster is commonly located in the rear wheel well or in the rear trunk region adjacent to the rear bumper and concealed thereby or adjacent to the exterior trim (fascia) and concealed thereby. In vehicles with integrated passenger and cargo areas including, but not limited to, station wagons, vans, minivans, hatchbacks, trucks and sport utility vehicles, air flow from the integrated interior of the vehicle is released to the exterior of the vehicle via the exhauster.
The automotive body in the trunk compartment (or body enclosure for vehicles with integrated passenger and cargo areas) has additional holes for other conduits to pass therethrough. One conduit will be the wiring harness. Other apertures will be placed in the trunk compartment to allow for the removal of precipitation from an area surrounding a powered sun roof and other items such as a battery vent in vehicles having batteries placed in the interior region of the vehicle. The addition of various holes to the car body is disadvantageous for several technical reasons. The additions of holes to the vehicle body adds to the manufacturing cost of the vehicle. Additionally, apertures penetrated in the car body provide more opportunity for corrosion. Apertures in the car body can sometimes damage the wiring harness when the wiring harness is threaded through the aperture and can sometimes lead to an inadvertent stripping away of the insulation which surrounds the wires of the wiring harness. The smaller the hole in relation to the wiring harness, the greater the chance of damage to the wiring harness.
It is desirable to eliminate those holes necessary in the car body to facilitate routing the wiring harness, sunroof drain tubes, or exhaust tubes. Alternatively, it is desirable to reduce the needed apertures to a minimum number as economically feasible.
To make manifest the above desires, a revelation of the present invention is brought forth. In a preferred embodiment, the present invention brings forth an automotive vehicle which has a body. The automotive vehicle body includes a passenger compartment and a trunk compartment. The passenger compartment provides a first generally sealed control volume. The trunk compartment provides a second control volume. The trunk compartment has compressible fluid communication with the passenger compartment. The car body has an aperture which communicates the trunk compartment with an area immediately adjacent the exterior of the car body.
The automotive vehicle includes a ventilation system. The ventilation system induces into the passenger compartment a pressurized air flow. A vent is mounted within the car body aperture. The vent allows one-way air transfer from the trunk compartment to an area adjacent the car body exterior. The vent additionally sealably mounts a plurality of sealed conduits to allow passage through the aperture and the vent.
It is the feature of the present invention to provide an automobile with an exhauster vent which additionally mounts conduits for passage therethrough.
Other features of the invention will be more apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings.